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Sunday, September 28, 2008

Whimsical Bakehouse: An Interlude

I am taking a short break from Arabesque for reasons I will explain.

A while back I decided that my family members (a.k.a. prisoners) should have a say in choosing the cookbooks from which I cook our meals. Big of me, don't you think? Isabel started us off with the Cuisine of California, and now it's Owen's turn.

It was his birthday this week and he chose The Whimsical Bakehouse cake book. I tried to convince him to change his mind, as this is basically a book of elaborately decorated, garishly colored party cakes.

He declined.

Fair is fair and I will give it my best shot, though cake decorating is not my forte.

I asked Owen to explain his choice:

Tipsy Baker: Why this book?

Owen: Because I like desserts and cakes and stuff and sweet things.

Tipsy Baker: But I have a lot of dessert books. Why this one?

Owen: Because it has a lot of pretty designs and it's a challenge and you've been doing this a long time and I thought you should get on to something more fancy.

lamb steak is the only kind of steak owen will eat. so if you make pork steak he won't eat it so a tip every time you make some kind of meat besides chicken tell him it is lamb steak. Did my interview sound as embarasing as his did?

Moro by Sam & Sam Clark. Shelf essential? Yes. An all-time favorite. A brilliant and fascinating book about the cuisines of North Africa and the Mediterranean.

Gourmet Today edited by Ruth Reichl. Shelf Essential? No. Not a bad book, but it can't decide if it's aspiring to be an all-purpose classic or something else entirely. It's neither. Recipes are mostly solid, few outstanding.

Mexico, One Plate at a Time by Rick Bayless. Shelf essential? No, but a very useful and reliable Mexican cookbook.

Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook by Fuchsia Dunlop. Shelf essential? Yes, especially if you're a Chinese food fanatic and want to delve into its regional cuisines. Though some of the recipes are too weird even for me, the beef with cumin was one of the best things I've ever cooked.

The Seventh Daughter by Cecilia Chiang. Shelf essential? Sure, though if there's only room in your collection for one "basic" Chinese cookbook go for Barbara Tropp's Modern Art of Chinese Cooking.